Jay Norman likes what he sees from his new position. Promoted to president and chief operating officer of DiamondCluster International in April, Nor-man envisions his firm doubling in size during the next five years. Given his knowledge of the firm and the marketplace, this forecast ought to excite DiamondCluster consultants as well as the firm's current and future clients.
Norman joined DiamondCluster three years ago as managing partner of the firm's financial services practice. He most recently served as managing director of the firm's North America and United Kingdom practices. The rapid ascent reflects his contributions: Under his recent guidance, DiamondCluster added 59 companies to its client roster in the second half of 2005 while strengthening its financial services and healthcare practices and ramping up its fast-growing life sciences and public-sector capabilities.
Stressing that DiamondCluster emphasizes organic growth — the bulk of its partners have been with the firm since it opened its doors in 1995 — Norman notes that the firm has also brought in several industry luminaries.
The firm's heightened focus on development helps the recruiting and retention efforts. Norman has championed diversity initiatives, including the establishment of working groups for gays and lesbians and working women. Under his guidance, the firm's flexible work policies have been formalized and expanded, and its career tracks and professional education programs have been reworked so that consultants can progress in more well-defined ways toward CIO, CTO, COO, and/or Chief of Strategy or Marketing.
Norman emphasizes that these investments, which earned DiamondCluster "Top 10 Firms to Work For" recognition in this publication, are vital in light of the ongoing "bifurcation" of the market into "mega firms and system integrators" and smaller, niche players.
"I think that a deadly middle ground now exists for midsized firms that are not capable of being nimble or entrepreneurial," he notes. "We have maintained both of these capabilities, we have a great platform to build upon, and we firmly believe that we are just beginning to tap the market."
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